The present invention relates to arrows having a detachable arrowhead, and more particularly relates to an auxiliary cutting implement configured to attach between the arrow shaft and arrowhead.
Bow hunting utilizes an arrow fired at an animal target with the arrow having a pointed arrowhead to penetrate and kill the animal. Modern day arrowheads include the so-called “broadhead” having either fixed or movable blades with usually 2 to 4 single edge blades arranged in a radially spaced pattern about the broadhead center shaft. The purpose of the blades is to increase the cutting area as the arrowhead penetrates and moves through the animal leading to a hopefully fast kill. The cutting area may be considered in terms of cutting diameter and a common broadhead provides a cutting diameter of about 2 inches or less.
Broadheads include a threaded shaft opposite the tip allowing the hunter to removably thread the broadhead to a threaded opening formed in the end of the arrow shaft opposite the cocked end. There is a large variety of broadheads on the market today with prices ranging anywhere from about $10 to about $50 or more. Some of the mechanical (movable blade) broadheads allow replacement of the blades as necessary. The replacement blades may cost anywhere from a few dollars to about $10 or more.
In all broadhead designs, a primary concern is aerodynamics—how it travels in flight in terms of speed and flight path. Since the broadhead blades extend radially of the arrow shaft, the blades necessarily introduce a deviation from the aerodynamics of an arrow without radially extending blades. The broadheads must therefore be designed with aerodynamic effect in mind; however, the design which might be best aerodynamically may not necessarily be the best design in terms of cutting paths and diameters, and vice versa. Designers of broadheads must therefore always be weighing their blade designs against the two, often conflicting parameters of aerodynamic effect and cutting pattern.
While present day broadheads are widely popular with bow hunters, the broadheads and replacement blades are expensive and are becoming maxed out in their cutting size due to the aerodynamic concerns which discourage designers from pursuing broadhead designs with any significant increase in presently offered cutting sizes.